


Secret

by JoAsakura



Series: Dust and Dreaming [2]
Category: Dragon Age, Dragon Age II
Genre: Deep Roads, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-02-08
Updated: 2012-02-08
Packaged: 2017-10-30 19:51:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 752
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/335445
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JoAsakura/pseuds/JoAsakura
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Varric is ... soothing.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Secret

It had been two days since Hawke had snapped Bethany's staff and they burned her body the best they could in the Deep Roads. Two days, and they hadn't moved from the campsite that Bartrand had abandoned in such a hurry.

They were still at least a week from the surface, laden with an almost unimaginable (even to Varric, and he had an *extremely* good imagination) amount of treasure and a sense of guilt that was infinitely heavier.

The air was unpleasantly dense in the caves, and Aveline had loaded her armour onto one of the wagons Bartrand had left behind in his rush to leave them dead and buried in the ancient Thaig. "Hawke." She started, then stopped, sitting beside him in the dull blue glow of the lyrium veins.

"I know." He said, taking a sip of stamina draught and wincing at the burn. Bartrand hadn't left behind any victuals, unfortunately, and none of them were sure they were going to survive a week's trek on nothing but a few potions. Hawke sighed, and squeezed Aveline's hand. "We can't stay here."

"We can stay till we eat something." Varric said, brighter than he felt. The dwarf carried an armload of deep mushrooms, and his human companions scowled.

"Varric." Aveline frowned harder. "Aren't those... poisonous?"

"Nah." He set them down and skewered them on his knife to hold over the fire. "They're a common snack in Orzammar, or so I'm told. And it's better than having more of that damn elfroot potion."

~~~

In retrospect, Varric thought, the potions might have been the better bet.

It might have been the fact that humans just weren't built to eat like a dwarf. Or the fact that they were already a little high from days of potion drinking.

But Aveline Vallen - serious, sturdy and soon-to-be Captain of the Kirkwall City Guard - was completely off her face.

Literally.

"THEY'VE STOLEN MY FACE!" She swung a chunk of stone at an imaginary enemy. "DAMNIT. THIS FISH ISN'T WORKING!" She shouted before throwing up on Varric's boots and passing out.

The dwarf commended himself on relieving both her and Hawke of their weapons as soon as the wierdness started, and he cleaned her (and his boots) up as best he could with a tattered sack, then covered her with his coat. Hopefully, she'd sleep it off.

Hawke, on the other hand...

He had been staring at their small fire, all the while Aveline had been bugging out. His pupils were huge, blotting out almost every trace of their normal blue. "Hawke, please tell me you're not dead." Varric finally asked, shaking him a bit.

"No'yet." Hawke answered, slurring his words. "Can't die yet. can't cry yet. too much t'do."

"You can, if you need to. I promise to leave it out of my stories." Varric sat beside him, and patted Hawke's knee. "Mostly."

"No." Hawke slumped over, leaning his head on Varric's shoulder. "cry when we're shafe. Don' tell anyone, but couldn't mourn Carver 'til we'd been in Kirkwall fer weeksh. Couldn't let'em shee me like'at.. inka..inpacitated..weak."

Varric awkwardly petted Hawke's bright hair. "I watched you punch a rock wraith in the face, Waffles. no one's ever going to accuse you of being weak."

"Varric." Hawke suddenly lifted his head to stare at the dwarf with almost ridiculous gravity. "Wanna fuck?"

"What? Andraste's flaming buttcheeks, Hawke." Varric smacked him in the head and Hawke looked like a beaten puppy. "Look. you're incredibly good looking for a human. But you're a *human*. *and* a guy. Either one I could get around, but both of them together? Kind of a deal-breaker for me." He added. "Plus, you're high as a kite."

"You've the most amazing chest hair." Hawke rubbed his cheek against varric's chest and the dwarf sighed. "Iz soothing."

"I'm not having sex with you. But you can cuddle me until you feel better, ok? Just don't barf on me like Aveline did." Varric grumbled as he let Hawke curl up against him, and the bigger man nuzzled Varric like a cat trying to find a comfortable nest in the blankets.

(Weeks later, he would get Hawke drunk as humanly possible and let the man cry for his sister until the tears wouldn't come any longer. But for now Varric resigned himself to letting Hawke pet him until he fell asleep.)

"Thank you." Hawke mumbled against his skin, and Varric frowned before pressing a chaste kiss to the top of Hawke's head.

"It'll be our secret."


End file.
